Selectmen upset by missing plaques

CLINTON — There were several pieces missing from Clinton's Memorial Day.

Despite solemn remembrances, plaques recognizing those who had served in wartime, attached to the war memorial outside town hall, were absent.

They were not really missing, but had simply not been returned after being removed, just after Memorial Day 2013, to be restored.

What was designed as an act of respect, however, seemed an affront to some.

Selectmen were among those who wanted to know what happened.

During their meeting Wednesday night, Town Administrator Michael Ward said he had spoken with the vendor, Regonini-Zoll Memorials, who had the plaques and had hoped to have them installed by the weekend, "and apparently ran out of time."

According to Ward, "pending the weather, they should be in very soon."

A couple of the plaques were in place, including some noting those killed during the wars.

The majority of the work was restoring the plaques, Selectmen Chairman Bill Connolly Jr. said.

Although members noted the additional plaques with names added during the review process might be added later, they asked why the restored plaques were not in place.

Connolly said his recollection was the plaques were removed right after Memorial Day 2013 so there would be an entire year to do the work before this year's Memorial Day.

"We were assured a year was sufficient," Connolly said.

He also noted there were a lot of hours over the weekend before Memorial Day when the work could still have been completed.

"I'd like an answer," Selectman Marc Iacobucci said.

The board wants to hear from the vendor at its meeting June 11.

"I believe we should know," Dziokonski said.

Especially after expressly having the timeline in place, Selectman James LeBlanc said.

Thursday, the contractor expressed disappointment.

"I was disappointed by that, too," Mary Zoll of Regonini-Zoll said of the delay. "We're not to happy about it either.

"The faults lays with me," she said. Delays included repeated advertising last fall for corrections on the plaques. A few names on the existing plaques were misspelled or missing, she said. Work in ongoing and she said she expects they will be installed within two weeks, but the monuments business was extremely busy because of the late spring.

Although the plaques have been in disrepair for the last 10 years, she said, "I hope people will think about how good it looks" when the restored plaques are finally in place.

Ward noted they were not talking about the added names, but rather the existing plaques that were sent out to be restored and put back up again.

"Why would that process take a year?" Connolly asked.

"It was disgraceful to have a big blank wall on Memorial Day," Connolly said. "My expectation was much higher."